NEW YORK, March 20 (Reuters) – Whether or not money can buy
happiness, people worldwide seem to think it can, at least
according to a new poll that canvassed respondents in two dozen
countries.
Nearly two-thirds of about 20,000 people surveyed said they
“need to live better,” the survey by market research company
Ipsos showed, while one-third said their life was fine the way
it was.
Given a list of factors for improving their well-being and
quality of life, 89 percent said a stronger economy in their
country was very or somewhat important — the top response.
Better living conditions and stronger family relationships
were named by 84 percent, while only 56 percent listed finding a
romantic partner, and 49 percent included meditation or prayer.
Lifestyle factors such as eating better, sleeping or
exercising more and finding new challenges also placed high.
Responses from nations as far-flung as Brazil, Saudi Arabia,
Russia, Sweden, Germany, South Africa, Hungary, Japan and Mexico
varied widely, according to the poll.
Hungarians were mostly likely to say they needed to live
better, with 89 percent agreeing, and second-most likely to say
this was harder to do than ever before.
Saudi Arabians were the most likely to say their lives were
fine as they were, followed by those from India and Sweden.
“These sentiments are inseparable from their crushed
economy,” said Keren Gottfried, research manager for Ipsos
Global Public Affairs, which conducted the poll on behalf of
Reuters News, referring to Hungary.
Continued…
